Foster's Grille - Want A Serious Burger

If you are in the mood for burgers than you just might want to get in your car and head directly to Foster’s Grille in Nesconset.  Open for a year Foster’s Grille has built up a strong base of repeat customers as well as new comers who stop by after learning of Foster’s by word of mouth. Many like myself, drive past and decide to check it out.  Foster’s is located on Smithtown Blvd., north of the Ace Hardware shopping center.  

On a recent visit my order included the purchase of a burger with cheese, jalapeño’s and ketchup. The order came with fries. I would not normally go out for a burger but I can tell you that I was glad I did.  It was wonderful, it was cooked the way I like  (medium) and I confess to eating the whole burger, which was substantial.  Eating the burger did not leave much room for fries, which I passed on to my son. He enjoyed them on top of his order of a burger with cheese, bacon, tomato, ketchup, mayonnaise and chili fries.  In addition to his order he had a coke and a strawberry milk shake.  I had water. (Did I mention he is seventeen)? 

My son is not new to Foster’s Grille and chooses to go there whenever he is in the mood for a burger. According to my son it’s a no brainer if the burgers at Foster’s are the best, (his opinion) why go elsewhere.

But, Foster’s is not just burgers they have wings that are above average in size and Sandwich’s that are so memorable that there is a couple that comes from Queens to enjoy them (I heard this straight from the owners wife Teri).  Why? What makes Foster’s food so delicious?  It’s the freshness of the food. Foster’s receives deliveries of fresh bread and meat everyday.  The food is not soaked in lard, no peanut oil, it’s fresh and it is charbroiled and it is quite good.

If you need more of a reason to go to Foster’s than you should know that they host an Old Car and Music night every Thursday.  The Thursday, I visited there was a guitarist named Bobby who played “70’s” music.

On the night I frequented Foster’s I was surprised by the number of people in the restaurant.  There were families, seniors and singles.  The food is a little pricey and you do have to fill out an order sheet and place your order yourself but there is staff to bring the food to the table. And there is a value in knowing that you are getting fresh food in a clean environment.  Go on a Thursday and you may even enjoy some music with your food. 

Six Commack High School Students Recognized For Academic Accomplishment

(photo B. Lentsh)Six Commack High School seniors are among the nation’s 34,000 students designated as commended students in the 2011 The National Merit® Scholarship Program. Commended students place among the top 5 percent of more than 1.4 million students who entered the 2011 competition by taking the 2009 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Congratulations to: Danny Abrams, Scott Aronin, Sarah Corey, Edward Huang*, Jamie Keller, Joshua Krongelb, Christina Misoulis, Asli Sinar for being honored for their outstanding performance and academic promise. (*not in photo)

SHSW Jacqueline Guercia's Team Wins First Place

Jacqueline Guercia, a senior at Smithtown High School West, was a member of the team from Wilson Tech’s Veterinary Assisting Program that won First Place in the National Competition for Small Animal Careers.  For the second year in a row Tech’s team won the contest in Springfield, Massachusetts, by identifying breeds and species, demonstrating general knowledge of veterinary science, team problem-solving, and participating in a workshop that covered all aspects of veterinary practice.

Nesconset Resident Arrested After Fleeing The Scene of MV Accident

Suffolk County Police today arrested a Nesconset man for driving while intoxicated, driving without a license and fleeing the scene after he was involved in a two-car crash that critically injured a Patchogue man in Bohemia early this morning.  

A 2010 Mazda, driven by Allan Collins, was stopped at a red light in the left turning lane of eastbound Veterans Memorial Highway at the intersection with Johnson Avenue in Bohemia when the vehicle was struck from behind by a 2007 Nissan at 5:50 a.m. The driver of the Nissan, Robert Watson, fled the scene following the crash but was apprehended at Johnson Avenue and Carlough Road in Bohemia a short time later by Fifth Squad detective Robert Suppa, who was canvassing the area looking for the driver who fled.  

Kevin Mead, 26, of 44 Bailey Ave., Patchogue, a passenger in the backseat of the Mazda, was transported to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue where he was admitted in critical condition with head and chest trauma. Collins, 57, and his daughter, Stephanie Collins, 24, who was seated in the front passenger seat, were also transported to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center where they were treated for shock.  

Fifth Squad detectives charged Watson, 24, of 197 Alexander Ave., Nesconset, with Driving While Intoxicated, Leaving the Scene of an Incident with Injury and Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle. Watson will be held for arraignment on October 4 at First District Court in Central Islip.  

Both vehicles were impounded for further investigation and safety checks. The investigation is continuing. Detectives are asking anyone with information on this crash to call the Fifth Squad at 631-854-8552 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.  

A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Update on Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 2:48PM by .

Kevin Mead, who was critically injured in a hit-and-run crash on Veterans Memorial Highway in Bohemia on October 3, died today at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in East Patchogue.

Proud Girls From Smithtown

Kindness is contagious even when your 1,532 miles away. (Reprint From Huffington Post)

The word selfless is an adjective that defines a person who is completely devoted to others welfare or interest and not ones own. We never really met anyone that we could honestly say was completely selfless until this past summer when we were given the privilege of meeting 10 young girls from Haiti. After all, our culture is made of people who compete with one another to be the best. Most people equate “best” with more money, more things, more attention and prestige — you know the old saying, “Keeping up with the Joneses”. Although they do exist, it’s rare to find people who don’t care about the “Joneses” and give completely of themselves.

 In June, our team of PROUDgirls from Smithtown decided they wanted to take action and raise money for the people of Haiti. The devastation from the January 2010 earthquake was so great that they knew something had to be done. But where do you start when there are an estimated three million people affected? After researching various websites and reading about various organizations, the girls discovered a small orphanage in Haiti. H.O.P.E is home to 10 young girls ranging in age from birth-12 whose ongoing mission is to house, feed, clothe and educate orphans in Haiti and provide for these children to adulthood. PGOM thought it would best benefit the girls by raising funds that would allow them to purchase the everyday things that they needed most — things we take for granted.

The Smithtown PGOM team decided to host two large sporting events within each high school, which included a flag football game and a softball tournament. They designed and created t-shirts for the event and charged a fee to participate. Both events had the support of fellow students who caught the kindness “bug” from our PROUDgirls and had lots of fun participating. They sold enough $15 dollar tickets to raise seven hundred dollars for the orphanage.

Delivering the news to the children of H.O.P.E. would prove to be the most exciting part of this project. We set a date for a video conference call through Skype that connected the 10 girls from Smithtown, N.Y. to 10 girls from Haiti who lived 1,532 miles away.

That morning when we saw their sweet faces pressed up against the computer monitor we were forever connected. We watched and listened in awe as the Haitian girls sang to us in their native language. Their voices were angelic and they told us they loved us. But what happened next was the most contagious moment of kindness we have ever witnessed.

After graciously thanking us for the donations we had raised, they began to tell us what they planned to do with the funds. Our donation would not be used for their needs, but instead be used for children who were less fortunate and living in tent cites after being displaced from the quake.They would use our donation to buy school supplies for the children who lost everything. They felt were much better off then the rest and chose to give our humble donation to help those who needed it more. Sure they needed new clothes, art supplies, soap and toothpaste but their choice was to give to those who were fighting everyday to just survive.

The “Joneses” don’t exist for the girls at H.O.P.E., nor should they for us. We should all think twice about balancing our need to be the “best” and showing kindness. As the PROUDgirls and the girls from H.O.P.E. proved, kindness is in fact contagious, even when you’re 1532 miles away.

“If compassion were the motivating factor behind all of our decisions, would our world not be a completely different place?” - Sheryl Crow